THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

331-The Shangri-Las-Leader of the Pack.

1965-Number 11 single. It was reissued in 1972, this time reaching Number 3, and again in 1976 making Number 7.

Best Bit-At 0.01. The song is perhaps the most famous ‘Teenage tragedy song,’ they are also known as ‘Tear Jerkers,’ ‘Death Discs,’ and ‘Splatter Platters.’ Other examples of successful songs with a similar lyrical theme from the late 1950’s to the mid 1960’s include ‘Teen Angel’ by Mark Dining from 1959, ‘Johnny Remember Me’ by John Leyton from 1961, and ‘Dead Man’s Curve’ from Jan and Dean recorded in 1964.

The Shangri-Las were formed in 1963, in New York, New York, United States, by two pairs of sisters who first met at Andrew Jackson High School, in Queens, New York City. They were Mary Weiss, and her sister Betty, and the identical twins Marge Ganser (1948-1996) and Mary Anne Ganser (1948-1970.) They began performing at school shows, and talent contests which brought them to the attention of the record producer Artie Ripp who signed them to their first record deal with ‘Kama Sutra’ records, this was when they began calling themselves ‘The Shangri-Las,’ taking their name from a restaurant in Queens, New York.

In April 1964 while the girls were still minors their parents signed them to ‘Red Bird Records’ which was when they first started working with this songs co-writer and producer George ‘Shadow’ Morton.’ The Shangri-Las remained active until 1968, but did reform to tour in 1977, and then again in 1989. Their discography comprises two studio Albums both released in 1965, and 15 singles released between 1963-1967, of which five reached the Billboard top 40 in America, and two have made the UK top 40. The girls streetwise image which was initially a promotional device for this song set them apart from many of the other girl groups of the 1960’s, with many of their songs dealing with taboo subjects of the time. Many artists have cited them as an influence, including Blondie, New York Dolls, and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

‘Leader of the Pack’ was written by George Morton, and the legendary songwriting team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, (1940-2009) (see also best songs 820-262 and 192) though Morton claimed to have only added Barry and Greenwich to the songwriting credits for business reasons, Greenwich has questioned Morton’s recollection. George ‘Shadow’ Morton (1941-2013) had first met Barry and Greenwich when they were working at the ‘Brill Building’ in Manhattan, New York City. Barry was sceptical that Morton wasn’t quite the songwriter he claimed to be, so Barry challenged him to write a song, and he came up with ‘Remember (Walking in the Sand’) which would become The Shangri-Las first hit in 1964, reaching Number 5 on Billboard. Morton who earned his nickname ‘Shadow’ from George Goldner (1918-1970) the co-owner of ‘Red Bird Records,’ because his whereabouts could never be pinned down, is remembered for his innovative production work with sound effects and percussion. After leaving ‘Red Bird Records’ he went on to work with many artists including Janis Ian, Vanilla Fudge, and New York Dolls.

‘Leader of the Pack’ is the tale of tragic young love. The girl falls in love at first sight with the leader of a motorbike gang, to which her parents strongly disapprove of. The girls father tells her in no uncertain terms that they must split, when she tells her love that it is over he drives away in to the night, but skids on a rainy road and is killed.

‘He sort of smiled and kissed me goodbye, the tears were beginning to show. As he drove away on that rainy night I begged him to go slow, but whether he heard I’ll never know.’